The Daughters Kane
by Misha
Summary: Veronica Kane has the perfect life. The perfect parents, the perfect brother, the perfect boyfriend, the only problem in her life? Her sister, Lilly.
1. Part One: Just Another Monday Morning

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

Disclaimer- I don't own anything to do with "Veronica Mars", I really wish I did, but I don't. It belongs to Rob Thomas and the UPN. I'm not making any money off of this, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes- This is another AU piece, again a full-length one. In this, Jake is Veronica's father and he and Lianne married when the kids were small, so the three of them are raised together. It's kind of weird and was just me playing with an idea. In this story, Lilly's a year older than Veronica and Duncan and she never died, but she and Veronica don't get along either. In fact, that's going to be a big part of this. The story's set in Veronica's Junior Year and after the first few chapters will start taking some events from the show, but not all obviously. I play along with all the personalities, figuring out what that one major change would do to all the characters, and I think it turned out okay. Anyway, I like the results. Well, that's all for now, enjoy!

Pairings- Veronica/Casey, Duncan/Meg, Jake/Lianne, Logan/Lilly.

Summery- Veronica Kane has the perfect life. The perfect parents, the perfect brother, the perfect boyfriend, the only problem in her life? Her sister, Lilly.

Spoilers- Everything and nothing. It's an AU, but I do draw from the show, so...

Rating- PG-13

* * *

Part One- Just Another Monday Morning

Veronica Kane stood in her bedroom, getting ready for school. She double-checked her appearance and after a moment decided that she looked good, so she finished and headed downstairs.

The rest of her family was already in the kitchen. That family consisted of her father, Jake Kane, her mother, Lianne, and her two half-siblings, Lilly and Duncan.

Lilly and Duncan were the result of Jake's first marriage, while Veronica herself was the product of an affair between Jake and his high school sweetheart, Lianne, who had both been married to other people at the time of her birth. The affair had continued until they had finally wed when Veronica was five, after Lianne's husband had been killed and Jake had divorced his first wife.

"Good morning sweetheart." Jake greeted as Veronica took her seat at the table.

"Morning Daddy." Veronica said with a smile.

"There's a big football game this week." Jake commented, returning her smile.

"Yeah, us cheerleaders have been practicing extra hard." Veronica told him, as she buttered her toast. "I think we'll be ready though."

Veronica was a member of the Neptune High Cheerleading squad, this was her first year on the squad since it was limited to Junior and Seniors. She'd been on Pep Squad for her first two years of high school though and this was a pretty natural progression.

"I'm sure you will." Jake agreed with a smile. "We'll be there, cheering you on, of course."

Veronica laughed at the pun, they'd be 'cheering' on her cheering.

"Of course, you will." Lilly, who at eighteen was a year older than Veronica, "we all know how much of a doting father you are. At least when it comes to one of your daughters."

There was strained silence following Lilly's remark.

"Well, Dad never has the chance to come support you." Veronica commented acidly. "What activities are _you_ in, Lilly?"

Lilly shot her a glare. "School spirit's not really my thing."

She got up from the table, without acknowledging any of the others and walked away.

Veronica sighed, life with Lilly was always like that. To say her and her older sister didn't get along was an understatement, Lilly seemed to resent the closeness between Jake and Veronica, but as far as Veronica could see Lilly never made any effort to have that same kind of relationship with their father.

"We should get going to school." Duncan, who was the same age as Veronica and a much calmer personality than Lilly, commented. "I'm sure Lilly's already taken the Jeep, so that means we're going to have to ride together."

The three Kane children shared two vehicles between them, though the way it usually worked out was that Lilly took off with one and Veronica and Duncan, who got along great, shared the other.

"No problem." Veronica said with a smile. "Just let me grab my books and we can head out."

* * *

Lilly took the long way to school.

Well, really she just drove around aimlessly. She just needed to work off steam.

As always in their house, breakfast was the Veronica show. But then, that was life in the Kane household.

Neither Duncan, the heir to all Jake's dreams and ambitions, or Veronica, the apple of Daddy's eye, could do anything wrong. While Lilly, the extra baggage, could do no right.

At home, Lilly always felt like she was the outsider.

Duncan and Veronica were the best of friends, you'd think they were twins instead of half-siblings, and neither of them got along that well with Lilly. Lilly knew in her father's eyes that she came up a very short second compared to Veronica and Lianne wasn't even her mother, so why would she like Lilly best? Celeste, Lilly's real mother, had been dead for nine years now, since two years after the divorce and Jake's quick remarriage, but it wasn't much of a loss. Celeste, had never liked her daughter, and had had no problems making sure Lilly knew it.

No, home and family weren't words that had much warmth or fondness for Lilly.

It wasn't even that different at school. All three Kane children were amongst the most popular kids at school, a clique called the 09ers, but Lilly knew that almost everyone liked her brother and sister better than they liked her.

She had her friends, yes, but most of the girls in their social circle despised her. She knew the names they called her behind her back, bitch and slut. She knew that Veronica and her annoying friends were the ones making most of the catty remarks.

She tried not to care, but she did.

Still, since she couldn't stop the rumors, she was going to live up to them. Lilly was determined to be what everyone already thought that she was.

* * *

"Do you need the car after school?" Duncan asked as he and Veronica arrived at Neptune High. "Because I have some stuff I have to do and then I have a date with Meg tonight."

Veronica paused. "I don't know." She told him. "I have cheerleading practice, but I might be able to get a ride home with one of the other girls."

Duncan nodded. "Well, let me know at lunch."

"I will." Veronica promised, as she and Duncan separated.

Veronica continued onto her locker and sighed when she got close, because leaning up against it, waiting for her, was Casey Gant, her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Veronica closed her eyes for a second. She was crazy about Casey, but their relationship had an unhealthy pattern. They'd be together and be happy for a while, then Casey's obnoxious jackass side would inevitably rear it's ugly head and she'd breakup with him, then he'd charm her and win her back, only for it to happen all over again.

It always happened and at the moment they were off-again. She'd broken up with Casey three weeks earlier, because she just hadn't been able to take it any longer, but ever since he'd been trying his best to make them 'on' again.

"Hey, baby." He greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, Casey." Veronica said with a reluctant smile.

"Any chance of you going out with me tonight?" Casey asked, as she deposited her books in her locker.

Veronica paused, thinking about it. She missed Casey, she always did when they were apart. "Well, that depends, can you pick me up after cheerleading practice?" She asked with a slight smile. "Duncan wants the car."

"And, as usual, Lilly's claimed the other one, right?" Casey asked knowingly.

"Of course." Veronica told him with a sigh. "She was in true Lilly form this morning, being bitchy just because Daddy mentioned that they'd be going to watch me cheer this weekend."

Casey made a face. "That sounds like your sister all right. Sure, I'll pick you up, but you really should ask your father for another car so that you and Duncan aren't forced to always share."

"Then, you wouldn't get to play chauffeur." Veronica reminded him, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

With that kiss, she and Casey were officially back together. That was how it always worked for her and Casey, the breakups were big things, the reunions weren't. They just kinda happened.

"There is that." Casey agreed with a grin as they walked down the hall together, his arm wrapped around her waist. He leaned down and gave her another quick kiss, then deposited her at the door of her class and headed down the hall.

* * *


	2. Part Two: Lunch Hour At Neptune High

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Two- Lunch Hour At Neptune High

Duncan was waiting for his sister at lunch.

All the 09ers sat together in a group of tables that no one outside there ranks was allowed to sit at, and Duncan always saved the seat across from him for Veronica. Lilly usually sat at one of the other tables, with her boyfriend Logan Echolls.

Logan and Duncan used to hang out, but they didn't really any more. It wasn't because Logan was dating Lilly, though that didn't help, they just didn't have a lot in common anymore. So they hung out with different people.

"Waiting for me?" Veronica asked, as she and Casey approached the table, hand in hand.

Duncan raised an eyebrow at their linked hands, last he'd heard they were broken up, again, but obviously they'd made up. Again. It figured. After all, Casey and Veronica never stayed broken up for long.

Veronica sat down across from him and Casey took the seat next to her, never letting go of her hand.

"Of course." Duncan answered. "You and-"

"Me." His girlfriend, Meg Manning, interrupted, giving Duncan a quick kiss as she sat down next to him. "Hey Veronica, all ready for practice this afternoon?"

"Of course." Veronica answered with a smile. "I'm kind of sick of all these extra practices."

"Me too." Meg agreed with a grin.

"That reminds me, Veronica did you find a way home?" Duncan asked his sister.

"I'm picking her up." Casey answered for Veronica. "We're gonna go out afterwards."

Duncan nodded. "Ah, okay."

He'd actually figured that as soon as he saw that they appeared to be back together, but with Veronica and Casey you never knew. Still, they were together for the moment at least and that made his life easier.

* * *

Lilly watched her brother and sister from her spot at one of the other tables in the 09er section.

As always, Veronica and Duncan were sitting together, they're significant others with them. She watched them laughing at something and hated the feeling of pain it brought. She should be long past the age where it bothered her that she wasn't really a part of her family.

Lilly looked over at Casey, who had his arm slung casually around her sister's shoulder. She'd thought that they were on the rocks, but it looked liked they made up again. Pity.

Lilly had often toyed with the idea of seducing Veronica's boyfriend. After all, it was what everyone expected of the evil sister after all, and she doubted Casey would put up much of a fight. It's not like he was getting any from Veronica, not if Lilly knew her sister at all.

Of course, there was Logan, and he might not like her going after another boy like that, but then again, that had never stopped her before. Just like it didn't stop him.

Her relationship with Logan was more realistic than other high school relationships, they both knew fidelity didn't exactly exist and they both cheated, they just didn't acknowledge it. It worked for them, but Lilly was sure it wouldn't work for her pretty little sister.

No, if Veronica thought Casey was sleeping with someone else, especially her own sister, then they'd be done for good this time and her heart would be be broken.

It was definitely worth some thought.

* * *

Logan turned away from the conversation he was having with Dick Casablancas to see Lilly staring over at the table where her brother and sister sat.

Logan sighed. He wasn't sure what was going on in Lilly's head, but he didn't like that look in her eyes. It always spelled trouble and given that she was staring at her sister, Logan was sure that whatever it was didn't bode well for Veronica.

Logan didn't understand the vendetta Lilly had against her brother and sister. Duncan was cool and Veronica, for all that she was a little stuck up and too tightly wound for him, seemed like a nice girl.

Not that Lilly would ever say so, though. The easiest way to get her worked up was to mentioned her brother and sister, especially her sister, and she'd rant and rant until Logan was sick of listening to her.

He loved Lilly, but he didn't always like her. She could be a bitch, especially where her sister was concerned, and Logan didn't want to know what kind of troubling she was plotting for Veronica.

Whatever it was, he was sure it wasn't going to be pretty. But it wasn't really his problem, thank God.

* * *


	3. Part Three: Parents and Lovers

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Three- Parents and Lovers

Casey was hanging out in front of the school, waiting for Veronica to be done practice. Hanging around waiting for her wasn't his first choice of how to spend an afternoon, but he figured it was a small price to be in Veronica's good books again.

"Casey, what are you doing here?"

Casey turned around to see Miss Mills, his English teacher and the head of the school literary magazine, standing there.

"Just waiting for my girlfriend." He answered, not sure what else to say.

She smiled at him. "Veronica Kane, right?"

"Yeah." Casey answered.

Miss Mills smiled. "I'd actually wanted to talk to you about that essay you submitted."

Casey knew which one she was talking about.

It was the first essay of his own he'd done in a few years. Usually he just downloaded all his assignments, but Veronica had been nagging him to actually do his own work, it was one of the things that had contributed to their late breakup, and he had some stuff he wanted to get off his chest, so he sat down and wrote it.

The subject had been to write about the people who were most important in your life. For Casey, it had been easy. He wrote about Veronica and his grandmother, but also about his parents and how their attitudes toward his grandmother bothered him.

"What about it?"

"It was wonderful." Miss Mills told him. "It was really powerful and if you ever want to talk about your grandmother, Casey, I'm here."

He didn't know what to say to that, but he was saved from having to respond when Veronica chose that moment to appear.

"Casey!"

"I have to go." He told Miss Mills.

She nodded. "Of course, remember, the offer remains open."

He nodded and she walked away, just as Veronica reached him. She threw herself into his arms and gave him a big kiss.

"Hey, baby." He greeted. "Did you have good practice?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah. What did Miss Mills want?"

"Nothing." Casey told her. "Just saying hello."

Veronica seemed to accept that and kissed him again.

"So where are we going tonight?" She asked, as she and Casey walked hand in hand towards his car.

"I was thinking we could just hang out at my place, my parents are going out." Casey told her.

"The hospital benefit, right?" Veronica asked with a smile. "Mine are going too."

Casey nodded, he'd kind of figured on that. But there was less chance of privacy at Veronica's, what with her brother and sister and all.

"Well, what do you think?" Casey suggested. "We can order in, watch a few movies, that sort of thing."

"Sounds good to me." Veronica said, leaning up to give him another kiss. "Especially the part about no parents."

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Gant were just getting ready to leave as Casey and Veronica arrived at his place.

"Veronica, how nice to see you." Casey's mother greeted.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Gant." Veronica said with a smile.

"What are you two up to this evening?" Mr. Gant inquired, after giving Veronica a smile of welcome.

"We were going to watch a movie." Casey answered.

His father nodded. "Well, have fun you two."

With that, Casey's parents left, leaving Veronica and Casey by themselves.

It was often like that. Casey and Veronica's on-and-off relationship had been going on for over a year now and yet, Veronica was sure she'd never spent more than a few minutes at any given time with his parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Gant just never seemed to be around, unlike Veronica's own parents, who certainly had busy lives, but always made a point to be there for their children. But then, most of her friends' parents were more like the Gants, then like her own. Maybe she was just of the lucky ones.

"What movie do you want to watch?" Casey asked, as he led Veronica into the living room, and snapped her out of her reverie.

"Whatever you want." Veronica told him.

"You're in an agreeable mood." Casey teased, as he quickly picked a movie and stuck it in the DVD player. He and Veronica then settled on the couch.

"Are you saying I'm usually argumentative?" Veronica asked, pretending to be offended.

"I'm saying, you're usually very opinionated." Casey told her, giving her a quick kiss.

She laughed and then allowed the kiss to deepen.

* * *

Lilly got home after an afternoon of shopping, to find the house deserted.

That was unusual, someone was usually home by this time.

She wondered where everyone was.

She walked into the kitchen and saw that there was a note on the fridge. She smiled at the gesture, it almost made them seem like a normal American family.

_Kids, remember, the hospital banquet's tonight. We'll be home late._

_Mrs. Andrews made something and left it in the fridge for you guys to reheat._

_Be good._

_Love,  
Mom._

Lilly rolled her eyes.

Mom.

She had never called her stepmother 'mom', not once in the thirteen years Jake and Lianne had been married and she didn't intend to start now.

Duncan did, he had for years, but not Lilly. It wasn't out of loyalty to the late Celeste, after all she hadn't been much of a mother as far as Lilly was concerned.

But that didn't make Lianne her mother either, she wasn't and Lilly didn't see any reason to pretend that she was or to pretend that they were some happy, normal family.

With a sigh, she turned to the answer machine, the one for the main line, and saw that there were two new messages. The Kane household had five separate phone lines. One for each of the children, one in Jake's home office, and the main one.

The messages on the main line were mostly likely either for the family in general or for Lianne, who was usually the only one who answered it, but Lilly pressed play anyway.

Veronica's cheery voice filled the kitchen.

_"Mom, it's me. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm at Casey's and I'll be here for a while, I know you guys are probably already gone, but I just thought I'd make sure you knew. Love you!"_

Lilly resisted the urge to gag, her sister was just **so** sweet it was sickening.

She listened to the next message, this one was from Duncan.

_"Mom, Dad, I guess neither of you is home and no one else is either. I'm at Meg's, her parents invited me for dinner. I'm sure Veronica has already called, but if not, she's out with Casey. I should be home at about nine, I'm not sure about Veronica. Later."_

Lilly stood there, knowing that it was stupid to let the fact that Duncan automatically spoke for Veronica, but didn't mention her, bother her. What else was new? She was the odd one out in the Kane's perfect family, the daughter that didn't belong.

She shook her head. What in the world was she doing letting this bother her?

She picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello, lover, what you doing tonight? Want to come over? The coast's all clear..."

* * *


	4. Part Four: Homecoming Plans

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Four- Homecoming Plans

"We're going to Homecoming, right?" Casey asked, later that night as he drove Veronica home.

The Homecoming dance was two weeks away and Casey was fairly confident his girlfriend would want to go, he was just double checking.

After all, until that morning he and Veronica had technically broken up, though it never lasted, and it had seemed kind of presumptuous to make plans for a dance when you weren't even dating the girl.

However, now that they were back together, he assumed all plans were a go. He wasn't all that excited about it, after all school dances were pretty lame, but Veronica liked that sort of thing.

"Do you even have to ask?" Veronica said, rolling her eyes. "We're not only going, we're doing the whole limo party thing with Meg and Duncan. I haven't decided if we're going to the dance or not."

"You want to do a limo party?" Casey asked, a little surprised.

Veronica wasn't usually one who liked getting in trouble. They went to parties and were always the first to leave, because she had to get home by curfew, never mind the fact that her sister wouldn't crawl home until the next day.

"Well, homecoming is **all** about the after party, right?" Veronica drawled. "Besides, my theory is that Lilly and Logan are going to do something outrageous anyway, like they did last year, so whatever Duncan and I do will pale in comparison and we won't get in any trouble."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out." Casey commented with a smile.

"Just about." Veronica told him. "It was Duncan's idea actually."

"Well, it sounds great." Casey told her. "And here I thought that Homecoming was just going to be another lame school dance."

"Not a chance." Veronica assured him. "It's going to be a night we're going to remember for the rest of our lives."

* * *

The next day at school, Meg was waiting at Veronica's locker between classes.

"You and I _have_ to go buy our Homecoming dresses today." Meg told her.

"Of course." Veronica agreed with a smile, Meg wasn't only her brother's girlfriend, she was also Veronica's best friend. They were damn near inseparable and there was no one else Veronica would choose to go dress shopping with.

Some part of her wished that it was something she could do with her sister, but that was never going to happen. She and Lilly were never going to have the shopping and secret-sharing kind of relationship and most of the time she was okay with that, but every once in a while, Veronica wished things were different.

"Did Duncan fill you in on our Homecoming plans?" Veronica asked her with a grin.

Meg's smiled dimmed a little. "Yeah, but Veronica, my parents would never go for it and they'd kill me."

Veronica knew where her friend was coming from, the Mannings were super-strict.

"I don't think mine'll be too impressed either." Veronica assured her, thinking that was kind of an understatement. Still, her parents weren't nearly as bad as Meg's. "But, it's not about our parents. It's about making this a night we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Besides, you're sister is like mine and will probably end of doing something way worse than this and take all the attention off us."

Veronica smiled at the thought. "I have to admit, it's one good thing about having Lilly for a sister, she always screws up worse than Duncan and I."

* * *

Lilly was walking down the halls and passed Veronica's locker, Veronica and Meg were standing there, deep in conversation.

Lilly rolled her eyes. She had almost as little use for Meg Manning as she did for her sister, Meg was just as sugary as Veronica and even more boring. Lilly had **no** idea what Duncan saw in the girl, but then she didn't really understand her little brother at all, so...

Lilly was about to continue on, when she caught what Veronica was saying.

"I have to admit, it's one good thing about having Lilly for a sister, she always screws up worse than Duncan and I."

Lilly moved on quickly, but the words stayed with her.

She had always know that there was no love lost between herself and Veronica, and she even knew that her sister didn't think much of her, but it still hurt to hear her talk about her that way.

Hurt, but not much of a surprise. Lilly had always been aware of what Veronica and her little pack of friends thought of her.

Lilly didn't have a lot of girl friends. Or any really, most of the girls in their social circle were Veronica's friends and that meant they didn't have a lot of time for Lilly. Oh, she had friends of her own in the 09er circle, Caitlin Ford, Darcy Collins and a few of the others. But they weren't the most loyal of friends and Lilly wasn't really sure she liked any of them.

She saw Veronica and Meg, how they were always giggling, and she wanted to be part of that. But, that wasn't going to happen, not in a million years.

No, it was one more thing that Veronica had that Lilly didn't and one more reason for Lilly to hate her little sister.

She wanted to bring Veronica down, she just had to figure out the perfect way...

* * *


	5. Part Five: Homecoming

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Five- Homecoming

_Two weeks Later_

Jake Kane stood in his foyer with his video camera in his hands.

It was the night of the homecoming dance.

Duncan, Casey, and Logan were waiting for the girls to come down. The three guys were talking amicably, though Jake knew that Logan and Lilly had separate plans than the others.

It didn't surprise him, though it saddened him. He wanted his children to be close, but that didn't seem likely. Well, Duncan and Veronica were close, but Lilly was another story all together.

Jake never knew what to do about his oldest child. Lilly was just harder to reach than Duncan and Veronica and more demanding. She always seemed to be getting into some sort of trouble.

Meg and Veronica chose that moment to come down the stairs.

Jake had the video camera and focused it on his daughter and her best friend. Veronica looked beautiful, in her deep blue gown, while Meg was pretty in pink.

"You look beautiful, honey." Jake told his younger daughter sincerely, thinking to himself how much she looked like Lianne.

"Oh, Veronica." Lianne whispered, at the sight of her daughter.

"Mom!" Veronica cried out. "It's just a dance."

Lianne nodded, but Jake understood. It might be just a dance, but it was another sign that their children were growing up. Their babies weren't babies any longer.

The girls made it over to where Casey and Duncan were waiting for them and posed for the mandatory pictures.

As they were finishing up, Lilly finally made her appearance. She was wearing a low cut, skin tight red dress.

Jake took one look at it and just shook his head.

"Lilly, don't you think that's a bit much for a high school dance?" Lianne asked, voicing his thoughts.

"What you don't like it?" Lilly asked, pretending to be shocked. "Don't you think it suits me?"

Lianne didn't answer, just sighed.

"Well, why don't you and Logan pose for some pictures." She suggested after a moment.

Jake noticed that there was no suggestion of Lilly posing with her brother and sister, in fact Duncan, Meg, Veronica and Casey took their leave as Logan and Lilly posed for the camera. So much for sibling affection.

Jake sighed and wondered where he had gone wrong as a parent so that his children could barely stand to be in the same room together.

* * *

"So have we decided whether or not we're going to this dance or not?" Casey asked once they were in the limo. As far as he knew a verdict had never been officially reached on that subject.

"We're totally blowing if off." Meg answered, surprising Casey.

He liked Meg, but he figured she'd be protesting the limo party, not deciding to totally blow off the dance. Meg blushed, obviously guessing his thoughts.

"Veronica's right, we're only young once and we should make this a night to remember." She said, leaning against Duncan. "And who wants to remember some boring dance when they can remember a night spent partying with their friends?"

Casey smiled at Meg's words, and held Veronica close to him.

He was all for the idea. Why would he want to go to some lame school dance when he could party in a limo with his girlfriend?

"Sounds good to me." Casey said and he pulled out a bottle of champagne, Veronica had asked him to be in charge of refreshments. He popped the cork and poured the champagne into glasses. "Well, here's to a night we never forget!"

They all drank to it, laughter filling the air as their night began.

* * *

Lilly and Logan put in a very brief appearance at the dance. One of the 09ers was having an after party and they split early to go to that.

Lilly was a little surprised that her siblings weren't at the dance, she wondered where they could be. They weren't at the party either, which wasn't as much of a surprise.

They had been invited of course, all the 09ers had been, but this was more Lilly's half of the 09er circle, than her sibling's. Still, this was the only cool party going on that Lilly knew about and she wondered where her siblings were if they weren't at the dance and they weren't at the party.

Still, she wasn't going to give it much thought.

Tonight was Homecoming, it wasn't about some lame dance, it was about having the time of your life, she thought, as she and Logan gyrated to the music that was playing in the background. Much cooler music than had been at the actual dance. She wasn't going to ruin her homecoming experience with thoughts of her lame siblings.

Lilly tossed her head and pushed all thoughts of Duncan and Veronica aside, as she rubbed her body seductively against Logan's.

This was going to be one Hell of a night, she was sure of it.

* * *


	6. Part Six: The Perfect Night

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Rating._

_A.N- This part's all about Veronica, Casey, Duncan, and Meg's Homecoming. I thought about splicing Lilly's night it, but I prefer it this way. Lilly will show up more after this and there'll be some actual interaction between the siblings, I promise. And I'm going to start weaving in some events from the show, the ones that fit my plot. Well, that's all for now, enjoy!_

Part Six- The Perfect Night

"Truth or dare." Meg asked Veronica. 

"Truth." Veronica decided.

"When was the first time you realized you loved Casey." Meg asked her. Veronica looked up at her boyfriend and smiled.

"Last Thanksgiving." She decided. "He brought me this little stuffed turkey and there was just something so cute about it and about him getting it for me."

"Aww." Meg said. 

"Aww." Duncan mocked.

Veronica glared at him and leaned up to kiss Casey, who's lap she was sitting on. "I thought it was sweet." She turned to Duncan. "Truth or dare."

"Dare, I guess." Her brother said apprehensively.

Veronica smiled sweetly. "I dare you to kiss Casey."

Her brother and boyfriend both glared at her, but she smiled unrepentantly as she slipped off Casey's lap. She went to sit next to Meg and the two of them looked at the boys expectantly.

With a sigh, Duncan got up and approached Casey. He kissed his quickly and then turned to glare at his sister. "Are you happy now?"

Veronica giggled. "Yeah." She snuggled back on Casey's lap and kissed him deeply.

"Forgiven?" She asked him softly.

"I'll take it under consideration." Casey told her with a smile, before kissing her again.

Duncan rolled his eyes, even as he held Meg close to him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Casey, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Casey answered.

Duncan paused for a moment, obviously considering what he could ask his sister's boyfriend that he'd really want to know. "What made you first ask Veronica out?"

Veronica looked up at Casey, kind of curious to hear the answer.

It had happened more than a year ago, a couple weeks after their beginning of Sophomore year. Casey had spent Freshmen year dating Darcy Collins and Veronica had dated a couple of different guys, but nothing serious. Then, one day Casey had asked her out and she'd said yes and that was that. 

"Well, I thought she was cute." Casey answered. "But it was more than that, she was just so cheerful and enthusiastic and I wanted some of that to rub off on me, so I asked her out. Luckily for me, she said yes."

"Like I'd ever turn you down." Veronica said, giving Casey another kiss, while Duncan groaned in the background.

* * *

There was a reason why you didn't drink with your sister, Duncan knew that now.

It was kind of creepy watching his sister make-out with her boyfriend right in front of him. Also it made "Truth or Dare" a little weird. There were a lot of things a guy never wanted to know about his sister.

Thankfully, the game died out by the time the group of them got out of the limo for a little while to walk along the beach.

Meg and Veronica were dancing in the sand, twirling each other around, giggling as they did so. Duncan watched them with a smile on his face, while Casey just looked amused. 

After a moment, Casey approached the dancing duo and picked Veronica up.

"Casey!" She screeched as he spun her around.

Duncan took Veronica's place dancing with Meg. His girlfriend laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Having fun?" He asked her with a smile.

"Yeah." Meg agreed happily. "Veronica was right, we're going to remember this night for the rest of our lives."

"Yeah, we are." Duncan agreed, holding her close, while listening to the sounds of his sister's laughter as Casey continued to spin her around. This night was going to go down as one of the best of his life, no doubt about it.

Suddenly, he thought about Lilly and wondered what she was doing to celebrate that night. Probably going to that party. For a second, he felt a little guilty that they hadn't invited her and Logan along, then he laughed at the thought.

Yeah, that would have gone well, having his sister's murder each other in the limo. He could only imagine Veronica's reaction to inviting Lilly along, she would have been furious.

He smirked at the idea and pushed it out of his side, he was sure Lilly was enjoying herself wherever she was.

Lilly always did.

* * *

Meg was sure that her parents were going to kill her.

It was several hours past her curfew and she was driving around town in a limo, more than a little drunk. She was probably going to be grounded for the rest of her life.

Yet, it was worth it.

She cuddled against Duncan.

The night was starting to wind down and they were getting pretty tired, but they weren't quite ready to go home. They weren't quite ready to let their night be over.

"We should probably go home soon." Veronica sighed from her place on Casey's lap.

"Probably." Meg agreed with a sigh of her own. "I bet our parents are probably pretty worried." 

Worried would be an understatement she was sure. Her parents were going to be _furious_.

"So let's take this thing home." Veronica sighed, she grinned at Meg. "I had the best time."

"So did I." Meg agreed, looking up at Duncan.

"It was definitely a night to remember." He told her, holding her tight.

She smiled up at him, knowing that she'd never forget this night and she doubted any of the others would.

It had been perfect.

* * *


	7. Part Seven: The Morning After

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Rating._

_A.N- This was written **before** I watched "Nobody Puts A Baby in A Corner", I haven't really had a chance to watch much of the second season at all. So, Meg's parents are just strict and overprotective, not psycho. Okay?_

Part Seven- The Morning After

Jake was not having a good night or good morning or whatever.

He had three children, three beautiful, intelligent, _exasperating_ children, and not one of them could make it home by curfew.

In fact, one got brought home by the cops after the party she was at got busted for drugs and underaged drinking, because both she and her boyfriend are too drunk to actually drive her home. So the job is left to the Neptune Sheriff's Department.

That was pretty typical Lilly and Jake could only sigh and shake his head before he grounded her for the next week. Of course, while he expected Lilly to do such things, he did _not_ expect his other two children to stay out all night.

They finally showed up at seven the next morning and crawled out of the limo. Meg's parents were there, the Mannings had been frantic, and they collected her right away and took her home. Casey's parents hadn't seemed concerned when Jake had called them and they weren't waiting for the boy, so Jake had the limo driver take him home. 

That left only his own two children to deal with. Veronica had watched Casey go with soft eyes and Duncan had done the same for Meg, then Jake had dragged them into the house.

"What were you two thinking?" He asked them.

"Daddy, it was Homecoming." Veronica pleaded. "We're only young once and we wanted it to be a night we remembered for the rest of our lives."

"You should have called." Jake told them warily.

"I know and I'm sorry." Veronica apologized and Duncan echoed her sentiments.

"Did you two at least have fun?" Jake asked with a sigh.

Suddenly, he had three teenagers on his hands to deal with, when had that happened?

His children exchanged glances and then nodded. 

Jake sighed again. "That's good at least."

* * *

Lilly was watching from the top of the stairs as her father dragged Veronica and Duncan into the house.

She had been surprised to learn that her brother and sister had stayed out all night, but for once they'd deflect the blame from _her_ instead of the other way around and she was looking forward to seeing it.

She watched as Lianne rushed into the foyer to greet the duo.

"What were you two thinking?" Lianne asked angrily.

"Mom, we just wanted Homecoming to be a night to remember." Veronica explained.

"Did you for one moment think how worried your father and I were?" Lianne demanded.

Duncan and Veronica both shook their heads sheepishly.

"I should ground you two for the rest of the year." Lianne told them, exchanging looks with Jake. "But I won't."

_What?_ Lilly thought, as she listened. She herself had received a grounding for breaking curfew and for being brought home by the cops.

"After all, we were young once too." Jake agreed. "But if you two pull a stunt like this again, you **will** be punished. Got it?" 

"Got it." Duncan and Veronica agreed in unison. 

Lilly listened in, stunned.

It wasn't fair. Once again Duncan and Veronica got off scott free and she got punished. 

Why was she surprised? She should be used to it now.

Prince Duncan and Princess Veronica could do no wrong, while Lilly, the wicked witch, could do no right. That was the facts of life in the Kane household, why did she think it would suddenly change now?

* * *

Veronica made her way up to her room, showered and changed out of her gown.

She lay on her bed, thinking about the night before. It had been everything it was supposed to be. She was just glad that they hadn't gotten in as much trouble as she had thought they would.

In fact, she was pleasantly surprised that her parents had gone so easily on her and Duncan. She had been sure that they were at least going to be grounded.

She wondered if Meg had been as lucky, probably not. Veronica winced, as she thought of how angry Mr. and Mrs. Manning had been. Meg was probably in a fair bit of trouble, poor Meg.

Veronica was sure that Casey had gotten off scott-free, his parents never seemed to care what he did.

Just then, her phone rang.

Veronica answered it quickly. "Hello?" 

"Hey baby, are you grounded for life?" Casey inquired.

"No, we got off this once." Veronica told him.

"That's good." Casey told her. "My parents just gave me the requisite 'don't do it again' speech and then took off to the club for their bridge game."

Veronica paused, Casey's parents always baffled her. She could never imagine her parents reacting like the Gants often did.

Her parents were much more hands-on. Sometimes it was pain, like when they got her in trouble, but as she listened to Casey, Veronica decided that she wouldn't trade her parents for his for anything in the world.

* * *


	8. Part Eight: Conversations

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Eight- Conversations

Logan held the phone in his hand, listening to Lilly rant on the other end.

As usual, she was upset because of her brother and sister. What else was new? It was pretty much a daily thing for Lilly to bitch about how much easier Veronica and Duncan had it and how their parents always played favorites.

"So, of course, I get grounded and they get off scott-free." Lilly complained. "How is that fair?" 

Logan had to admit that he had been a little impressed to hear that Duncan and Veronica had ended up staying out all night after Homecoming, well instead of, since they and their dates had been a no-show at the dance.

He wouldn't have thought that either of Lilly's siblings had had it in them, but people could surprise you. Of course, Lilly didn't see it that way. She never saw anything good or impressive about her brother and sister.

"They didn't get in any trouble at all?" Logan asked, because he knew Lilly wanted him to.

"None." Lilly complained. "Dad just gave them a warning not to do it again and that was that. God, I wish I was an only child."

Logan just sighed as she started her rant all over again. It was times like this when he wondered why he put up with Lilly at all...

* * *

"So did you get in much trouble?" Veronica asked Meg on Monday morning when they met at Meg's locker before school started.

"Not really." Meg answered. "I got this huge lecture from my dad, but right after we got home, Lizzy showed up hung-over and ended up puking all over Daddy's shoes and well, they forgot all about me." 

Veronica giggled. "See, what I mean about how it's good too have sisters?"

Meg laughed. "Yeah, that's for sure. However, I am on probation, which means that I have to be on my best behavior."

"Yeah, me too." Veronica told her. "My parents weren't too impressed with Duncan and I, but we weren't in major trouble either, so all's good."

Meg smiled. "That's good, but even if I had been grounded for the rest of my life, it still would have been worth it." 

"Totally." Veronica agreed with a laugh. "But I for one am glad that a lifetime of grounding didn't result. I kind of like my free time."

* * *

"Casey, can I speak to you for a minute?" Miss Mills asked as class was ending.

Casey nodded, wondering what was up.

"Casey, I've noticed a change in your work lately." The teacher began. 

_Yeah, because I've been doing my own._ Casey thought, but of course didn't say.

He'd been doing his own English assignments for the last couple of weeks, since that first one. He found it was a good outlet for all that he was feeling, to write it down.

"As I mentioned to you a few weeks ago, your work is wonderful." Miss Mills continued. "But it's also very personal, Casey, again I'm going to repeat my offer that if you need to talk, I'm here. I'd also like to invite you to check out the literary magazine. You're a very talented writer and I think you'd fit in there."

The literary magazine? Casey raised an eyebrow. That really wasn't his kind of thing, however he didn't say that, he just shrugged. "Maybe, but I really have to get going to my next class."

"Of course." Miss Mills told him. "But think about what I said, Casey."

"I will." He promised her, as he hurried off.

* * *


	9. Part Nine: Extracurriculars

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Nine- Extracurriculars

"Student elections are coming up, aren't they?" Jake mentioned casually at breakfast the next morning.

Veronica knew her father too well to believe his casual tone.

She looked at Duncan, which one of them was about to get roped into running for student government? Veronica figured it had to be Duncan. After all, their father made no secrets about the fact that he wanted his only son to have a career in politics, and what better start than student government?

"I think you should run for student body president, Duncan." Jake said, confirming Veronica's thoughts.

Duncan paled. "Ummm..." 

"You need to get more involved, Duncan." Jake told him. "Besides, it'll look good on your college applications." 

"And that's what's really important." Lilly commented bitchily. "College applications, not actually wanting to help your fellow student?"

"And how many of your fellow students do you help, Lilly?" Veronica sniped. "I mean, I didn't know that all that shopping you did was for the good of the student body."

Lilly glared at her.

"Veronica's got a point, Lilly." Jake spoke up, before Lilly could retort. "You're a Senior, you have to send off your college applications soon and you don't have any extracurriculars to speak of." 

"I'm not the school spirit type, what can I say?" Lilly commented, getting up from the table. "Besides, I don't intend to college, so who cares about college applications?" 

"Of course, you don't." Veronica muttered, as Lilly walked off. "Why would you want to make something of yourself when you can spend the rest of your life spending Daddy's money?" 

Jake watched LIlly go for a moment and then turned his attention back to Duncan. "So what do you say Duncan? Are you willing to give your all to student government?"

* * *

Lilly decided as she left the house that she wasn't going to school today. No, she was going to blow it off and find something better to do with her time. 

Breakfast had been more Hellish than usual. The only thing worse than watching her father gush over Veronica, his perfect daughter, was watching him trying to groom Duncan to be a future President of the United States.

Duncan would run for student body president of course, he wouldn't really have a choice, and he'd win because he was Duncan Kane. And that was how it would go, all the way to the White House, Jake making the decisions and Duncan not having the backbone to stand up to hs father.

And then of course, there was Veronica, always sucking up to Jake, who never seemed to notice what a little bitch she was. Lilly made one snotty remark and she got chastised, but not Veronica, never Veronica. 

Lilly was counting the days until High School was over and she never had to step foot in that house again. But that was enough of that, she had declared today a holiday and holidays were no fun when you spent them alone.

She took out her cellphone. "Hey lover, I'm playing hooky today, why don't you join me? It'll be fun..."

* * *

"So my father's convinced Duncan to run for student council President." Veronica told Casey when he met her at her locker before class.

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Lucky Duncan."

"Yeah." Veronica agreed. "I mean, I love my father, but he can be kind of pushy."

"I think all parents can." Casey said with a chuckle. "Speaking of extracurriculars, have you ever thought about checking out the literary magazine?"

"No, not really." Veronica answered. "I kind of figured journalism class was enough for me, why?"

"Miss Mills invited me to check it out sometime." Casey told her. "She liked a couple of the assignments I've handed in, anyway, I thought it might be interesting. I could use a few extracurriculars for my college applications, so I thought I might go see what it's like." 

Veronica was surprised. Casey wanted to check out the literary magazine? Talk about out of character. However, Veronica wasn't complaining, since Casey's disinterest in anything productive was one of the things that always led to their inevitable break-ups. 

"Sounds good to me." Veronica told him.

"I want you to go with me." Casey said. "I mean, if I'm going to give up some of my spare time, I want my girl there." 

"Sure." Veronica said, rolling her eyes. "As long as it doesn't interfere with cheerleading practice, I'm in."

* * *


	10. Part Ten: The Magic Power of Pirate Poin

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Ten- The Magic Power of Pirate Points

"Did you guys hear?" Maddison Sinclair said at lunch.

Maddison was on the cheerleading squad with Meg and Veronica and they hung out a lot, she wasn't one of Veronica's _best_ friends, she was a bit of bitch, but they still hung out a lot. Some part of Veronica secretly thought that the main reason she put up with Maddison was because Lilly hated her.

"Hear what?" Duncan asked. 

"Wanda Varner's running for class president--and get this, part of her platform is that she'll abolish Pirate Points." Maddison worked in the office, so she always knew these things first. 

"No way." Veronica said in disbelief.

Pirate Points were a Neptune system that allowed students who participated in things like sports or student council to get added perks, like having food delivered at lunch. It was an 09er staple, after all they weren't allowed off campus at lunch, and there was **no** way they were eating cafeteria food.

"It's a good thing Duncan's going to run against her then." Veronica said, looking at her brother. "She doesn't have a chance against him."

Duncan blushed. "You don't know that, Veronica."

"Yeah, I do." Veronica said, smiling. "Duncan, you're a shoo-in. You're like one of the popular boys at Neptune High? Who wouldn't vote for you?"

* * *

"Duncan, you shouldn't for student body president if you don't want to." Meg told him that night, when they were out together.

Duncan laughed. "It's not that easy. It's what Dad wants and Hell, now Veronica and everyone at schools wants it too. Besides, maybe it won't be that bad."

Duncan wasn't really that opposed to the idea, there were things at Neptune that he thought could use changing and he liked the idea of being able to help make the changes. He just didn't think politics, on any level, was really his thing.

But try telling Jake that. Duncan hated the idea of disappointing his father, so he was kind of resigned to the idea of a life in politics. Even if it wasn't really his first choice. 

Besides, with student council, it wasn't just Jake. If Duncan had a hard time saying no to his father, it was even worse with his sister. If Veronica wanted him to run, then he would.

"Well, whatever you decide, really decide, I'm right beside you." Meg assured him. "Besides, you know, I think I could get used to being the girlfriend of the student body President. That would make me kinda like the first lady, right?"

Duncan smiled. "Kinda."

He looked at Meg and he was so glad to have her. She always made him feel better. She and Veronica, they were two of the most special people in his world and he didn't know what he'd do without them.

* * *

"So, Duncan's running for student body president." Lilly told Logan that night, she was over at his place.

"I know, people were talking about it at school today." Logan told her. "Where were you? Duncan said you left before he and Veronica did, yet you never showed."

"I went shopping." Lilly told him breezily. "I needed to relax, blow off some steam, and shopping is an excellent tension reliever."

Logan wasn't a hundred percent sure he believed her, but he wasn't sure why. It would be just like Lilly to blow off school to go shopping.

"Next time, call me." Logan told her suggestively. "I can think of a better way than shopping to relieve your tension."

Lilly giggled. "I bet you could, lover. I bet you could."

Logan held her close for a moment. "I'm glad Duncan's running for President." He told her.

Lilly looked at him. "And why's that?"

"Because someone needs to beat Wanda Varner." Logan said with a shudder. "If she wins, she's going to abolish Pirate points."

Lilly sat up straight. "Seriously?" She made a face. "Damn it. Now I actually have to vote for my brother. 'Cause there's no way we're losing Pirate points. Not even if it means Donut for President."

* * *


	11. Part Eleven: Triple Trouble

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Eleven- Triple Trouble  
  
"So how are we going to make sure Duncan gets elected?" Lilly asked Veronica early the next morning.

Lilly was standing in the doorway of Veronica's room, as Veronica attempted to get ready for school.

"Huh?" Veronica asked, incredibly confused. It wasn't normal for Lilly to willingly talk to her, especially not in an almost-nice fashion.

"You heard me." Lilly told her flatly. "Logan told me that Wanda Varner wants to abolish Pirate points and that would make all our lives Hell, so the alternative is make sure Duncan elected. I mean, it's probably a lock, he is Duncan after all, but let's not take any chances here."

Veronica was still stunned. "You're actually willing to help Duncan win something?"

"Just this once." Lilly told her coolly.

"Okay." Veronica agreed after a moment. She knew she should probably consult Duncan first, but it wasn't the first time she'd spoken for him and it probably wouldn't be the last. It was just one of the ways their relationship had always worked. "I guess extra help is always good."

Lilly smirked. "I thought you'd see it that way and think about it, little sister, you and I working together for once? And Duncan too? We're going to be unbeatable, after all, we're Kanes."

* * *

"Guess who offered to help make sure Duncan won the election?" Veronica told Casey before class. As always, he was waiting for her at her locker. 

"Who?" Casey asked, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Lilly." Veronica stated.

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Your sister offered to do something to help Duncan?"

In the time he had been dating Veronica, he had come to understand all the Kane siblings well and he knew that Lilly did **not** get along well with her siblings.

"I know, I was stunned too." Veronica told him. "But it seems that Lilly doesn't want to lose those Pirate points anymore than the rest of us and if that means she's forced to help Duncan, so be it."

"Of course and now the truth surfaces." Casey said with a laugh. "After all, your sister has an ulterior motive for everything doesn't she?"

Of course, the same could be said for most of the 09ers, they were a very self-serving group. It was never about anyone else, it was always all about them. The 09ers liked their privileges and spending their fathers' money. Same old, same old.

Though, Casey wasn't one to talk, because when it came down to it, he didn't really want to lose those Pirate points either.

* * *

Lunch was a new experience for Duncan, he sat with both of his sisters for the first time since coming to Neptune HIgh. 

He was still stunned by Lilly's offer to help with his election campaign and the fact that she was being almost nice to him and Veronica. It wasn't exactly in LIlly's character, however he wasn't complaining.

It was kind of nice to not have his sisters at each other's throats, though he didn't count on it lasting very long. Miracles rarely did.

"I say we try to discredit Wanda Varner." Lilly declared.

"No." Duncan said quietly. "I don't want to say anything bad about anyone."

"Of course, you don't." Lilly said, rolling her eyes.

"Duncan's right." Veronica said quietly. "We want to take the higher ground. Let's focus on all the reasons that Neptune students **should** vote for DUncan instead of why they shouldn't vote for Wanda."

Lilly made a face, but she didn't argue. Instead, she turned to Logan, who had also joined them. "Do you think you're dad might be willing to make a campaign video? I'm sure that would get attention."

Logan made a face. "Well, heaven knows that the great Aaron Echolls is always up for free publicity. He might get a kick out of it."

"That's a good idea, Lilly." Meg said with a smile. "I mean, Aaron Echolls would be a huge draw."

Lilly just smiled smugly, but Duncan could see from her eyes that she was pleased. She seemed softer, easier to get along with today, and he didn't know what had caused it, but he was thrilled by it. He kinda liked this Lilly and she was **definitely** an improvement over the normal Lilly.

* * *


	12. Part Twelve: The Litterary Magazine

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._  
  
Part Twelve- The Literary Magazine  
  
"Casey! I'm glad you could make it." Miss Mills greeted warmly. "And Veronica, how nice!"

Casey and Veronica had decided to check out the literary magazine after school.

"Hey Miss Mills." Veronica said with a slight smile. "I hope you don't mind me tagging along."

"Of course not." Miss MIlls said with a warm smile. "The more, the merrier. I'm so glad that you could both come."

"Thanks." Veronica answered.

"In fact," Miss Mills says casually, "if you like it here, I know somewhere else that you might like." 

Casey and Veronica exchanged a look. What did she mean? 

Miss Mills must have sensed their confusion, because she just smiled. "But, you can decide about that later, for now let me explain how we work around here, ok?"

Veronica and Casey nodded and Miss Mills proceeded to show them the ropes of the Neptune High literary magazine.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Casey asked after he and Veronica left the literary magazine office.

Veronica shrugged. "It was okay. Miss Mills seems pretty cool and it's a good extracurricular." 

"That's what I thought." Casey agreed. "So, we'll go back?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I'm cool with that. I'm kind of curious about the 'somewhere else' that Miss Mills mentioned."

"Me too." Casey told her, he had been wondering what the teacher could have meant.

"Do you know what you're going to do for your writing sample?" Veronica asked, referring to the fact that Miss Mills had asked them both to get her a piece of their writing as soon as possible.

Casey shrugged. "I have a few ideas, what about you?"

"I have this poem I wrote about Lilly." Veronica told him. "I was upset and it just sort of came to me. It was supposed to be an English assignment, but it didn't feel right, so I just saved it. It's got the right sort of vibe."

"But you guys are getting along okay right now, right?" Casey asked.

Veronica laughed ruefully. "We have a very temporary truce." She told him. "But I wouldn't say we're getting along. Lilly and I never get along, at best we coexist, but that's about it. Anything else is wishful thinking."

* * *

After Casey dropped her off, Veronica headed up to her room to start her homework. As she entered her room, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Veronica."

"Hi Madison." Veronica said, sitting down on her bed. "What's up?"

"I just came up with a plan on how to make sure Duncan wins the election." Madison told her.

"How?" Veronica asked, honestly curious.

Madison explained her plan, which was very simple, she was the one in charge of the classroom voting lists, she'd just make sure the numbers were switched around in the classrooms more likely to vote for Wanda, meaning that Duncan would get her votes from those classes.

"Madison..." Veronica said, not sure about what she was hearing. It would be cheating and she knew that Duncan would never stand for it, but it was really tempting. 

"No one needs to know except the two of us and you wouldn't have to do anything." Madison told her. "You want Duncan to win, don't you?"

"Yes." Veronica admitted, she did. She would do anything to Duncan, besides he probably would have won anyway... They were just making doubly certain. "Ok, go for it. Let's make sure Duncan wins this thing."

* * *


	13. Part Thirteen: The Election

The Daughters Kane  
By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Thirteen- The Election  
  
"And the new Student Body President is Duncan Kane!"

There was a cheer in the classroom as the announcement was made.

"Go Duncan!" Dick yelled out.

Veronica looked down at her desk, wondering for the millionth time if she had made the right decision. She shook her head, of course she had. Duncan would be a much better student council president than Wanda Varner, anyone with a brain knew that. 

Still, what she had done seemed more like something _Lilly_ would do instead of her. Yet, not even Lilly had suggested actually fixing the election...

Veronica pushed that thought away. It was done, there was no point second-guessing herself now. Besides, it had been Madison's idea, not hers. She had just gone along with it to help Duncan. She'd do anything for her brother, after all...

* * *

Lilly noticed that Veronica didn't seem to be her usual peppy self at lunch.

Lilly actually sat with her brother and sister, though the truce was over. She had figured that they might as well celebrate their accomplishments.

Still, despite Duncan winning the election, Veronica seemed withdrawn, as if something were bothering. Not that Lilly really cared, but it was unusual.

Veronica usually defined the word 'cheerful', at least around Duncan and other members of the family. And even with Lilly she didn't tend to be quiet and withdrawn; bitchy and self-righteous, definitely, but not quiet and withdrawn. This was definitely out of the ordinary for Veronica, especially since she should be so happy that her precious Duncan won the election.

Still, no one else seemed to notice Veronica's preoccupation, so Lilly had to wonder if she was imagining it. Maybe, she just wasn't used to her sister being civil to her.

Pity that it wasn't going to last.

* * *

Casey also noticed that something was bugging Veronica.

"Are you okay?" He asked her later that afternoon, when they were hanging out at his place. His parents were out, as usual. "You've been weird all day."

Veronica shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Want to share?" Casey asked her.

She shook her head. "Not really. It's nothing important."

"Are you sure?" Casey asked her. "You seem pretty distracted."

Veronica smiled at him, a real smile that lit up her whole face. "No, I'm good now. I've decided not to let silly things bother me, instead I'm going to concentrate on something much more important."

"Oh, and what's that?" Casey asked teasingly.

"My wonderful, incredible boyfriend." Veronica said warmly, leaning up to kiss him.

"Sounds good to me." Casey said, deepening the kiss.

After that, there wasn't a lot of conversation and they both forgot whatever it was that had been bugging Veronica as they got distracted by one another.

* * *


	14. Part Fourteen: The Fairytale Romance

The Daughters Kane

By Misha

_See Part One for Disclaimer and Notes._

Part Fourteen: The Fairy-Tale Romance

"Veronica, I have a special assignment for you." Ms. Dent, their journalism teacher informed her a few days later. "Actually, it's more of a favour."

"What is it?" Veronica asked. Journalism was her favourite class and Ms. Dent her favourite teacher, so she was willing to help out if she could. Besides, doing something for a teacher might help relive the guilt she still felt over what she and Madison had done.

"I need you to take someone off my hands." Ms. Dent confessed.

"Huh?" Veronica asked, definitely confused.

"The Neptune High class of '79 twenty-fifth reunion is coming up." Ms. Dent told her.

"Yeah, I know." Veronica told her. "My parents graduated that year."

Ms. Dent smiled. "Is that so? Well, then maybe this won't be too much of a favour to ask. You see, the organiser is driving me crazy and I was kind of hoping you could take her off of my hands."

Veronica shrugged. "Sure."

"Thank you, thank you." Ms. Dent told her. "Her name is Evelyn Bugby."

Veronica wrinkled her nose. "I've never heard of her."

"Think of that as a good thing." Ms. Dent said and then groaned. "Here she comes now."

Veronica saw the woman about her mother's age approaching and smiled at the Journalism teacher. "I'll distract her." She promised.

Ms. Dent gave her a beaming smile. "You are a miracle worker, did I mention that?"

Veronica just smiled. "It's always nice to hear."

"Evelyn, this is Veronica Kane, she'll assit you." Ms. Dent, as soon as the woman got close.

The woman's face lit up. "Kane?" She took a good look at Veronica nad beamed. "You must be Jake and Lianne's daughter, you're the spitting image of your mother."

Veronica smiled. She got that a lot. "Thank you. So you went to schol with them?"

As she asked her question, Ms. Dent made her escape.

"Yes, I did." Evelyn told her. "They were _the_ couple back then. Alwyas conencted at the mouth in the hallway and just **so** in love. We just always knew they'd end up together and sure enough, here you are."

Veronica smiled. "Here I am."

She knew that Evelyn was leaving out all the sorid details of the story, like the adultery angle, but she couldn't blame her, that part didn't sound so good. Besides, Veronica didn't like to think about that, she just liked to think about her parents happy and in love.

--

Lilly noticed that Veronica seemed to have gotten over what it had been bothering her a few days before. She was in her usually perky mood at dinner.

"I met an old friend of yours today." She told Jake and Lianne.

"Oh?" Lianne asked with interest.

Lilly saw both Lianne and Jake turn towards in Veronica, ready to hang on her every word, because everything Veronica said was of prime importance, of course.

"Evelyn Bugby, she's organizing the reunion."

Lianne made a face. "She was a busy-body and a nasty gossip."

"Well, she speaks fondly of you." Veronica told her cheerfully. "She raved about how you guys had been _the couple_ and how in love you were and how everyone just knew that you'd end up together."

Lilly rolled her eyes. Of course, Jake and Lianne, the story of perfect love. Yech.

"She must be ignorning the adultery angle." Lilly quipped.

Her father gave her a stern look. "Lilly."

"Oops." Lilly said, faking contritness. "I forgot we're not supposed to talk baout hte dirty laundry, are we?"

"Lilly!" Jake said again.

"What?" Lilly asked innocently. "I'm only stating the truth--there is that ugly fact that you two were married to other people, all the while still caring on your perfect love story and conceiving your perfect daughter, the illegitamate love child."

She heard Veronica gasp and smiled smugly, glad that she had, for once, gotten a blow towards her oh-so perfect sister.

"Lilly, that's enough!" Jake exclaimed angrily. "Go to your room!"

"Whatever." Lilly said, getting up from the table and rolling her eyes. "Can't handle the truth, Daddy dearest?" With that, she sauntered off.

"Ignore her, Princess." She heard Jake telling Veronica in the background as she headed upstairs. "What happened all those years ago had nothing to do with you and we don't regret a single moment of your existance."

Lilly rolled her eyes. As always, she was forgotten as soon as she left the room, and Jake focused all his energy on his perfect Veronica. That's how it worked in the Kane household, after all.

--

After Lilly left, dinner was fairly quiet, Lilly's words had ruined the happy atmosphere.

_Typical Lilly._ Duncan thought, wondering why he had been naive enough to think their truce would last. Lilly was Lilly and she just wasn't happy unless she was causing trouble.

Duncan knew that their family wasn't perfect, but he didn't understand why Lilly felt the need to bring it up during dinner and throw the fact that Veronica had been conceived out of adultery in her face.

"So are you two going to your 25th reunion?" Duncan asked after a few minutes of silence.

"We probably should." Lianne confirmed. "Prom King and Prom Queen and all that."

"Prom Queen..." Veronica said wistfully. "I hope that'll be me some day."

"No chance." Duncan told her. "It's going to be Meg."

Veronica sent him a look. "No way."

Jake chuckled. "I think you've got some time before that becomes an issue."

Veronica grinned. "Yeah, like a year and a half, still the crown will be mine."

"Delusional." Duncan told her with a grin, glad that the mood at the table had cheered since Lilly's departure.

Veronica kicked him under the table and he kicked her back.

"Children." Jake said, but he was smiling as he said it.

"He started it." "She started it." Duncan and Veronica choursed at the same time.

Jake and Lianne exchanged fond looks and Duncan grinned at his sister. A nice, happy family dinner. Too bad Lilly couldn't be a part of it.

---


End file.
